These North Tampa Bay Chamber Members Recently Cut Ribbons! 

We continue to promote the ribbon-cutting events hosted by members of the North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC). A recent one we attended was for Peak Brain & Body (2404 Creel Ln, #101, Wesley Chapel; below photo) on Mar. 11. 

Peak is the office of Family Nurse Practitioner and Chiropractic Physician Dr. Spencer Zimmerman, who moved with his family to our area from Idaho and is the only dual-licensed nurse practitioner/chiropractor using advanced neurological diagnostics, functional neurology, functional medicine and peptide therapy in Florida. 

For more info, call (813) 437-9630 or visit PeakBrainandBody.com. 

Our photographer Charmaine George also was on hand for the ribbon cutting at Jachimek Chiropractic & Wellness, located at 5111 Ehrlich Rd., Ste. 128, Tampa (Top Photo) on Mar. 20. Chiropractic physician Juliet Marvenko, or Dr. J, cut that Chamber ribbon. 

For more information, call (813) 960-2225 or visit JachimekChiro.com. 

And then, on Mar. 26, Tiny Tots Playtown (photo right & below), located at 24412 S.R. 54 in Lutz (in the Eagle Plaza, behind Brunchies), cut an NTBC ribbon. Owner Lauren Pratt introduced Chamber members to her super-cute, shoe-free (don’t forget to bring your socks) little indoor play center for young kids — which surely will be a welcome respite from Florida’s summer heat and rains, which are fast approaching. 

Tiny Tots can host kids parties and has gift cards and unlimited play opportunities available. 

For more info, call (813) 406-4124 or visit TinyTotsPlaytown.com. — GN 

County’s Revamped Cross Creek Park Is Now Open Next To Pride Elementary! 

Photos by Charmaine George

Congratulations to Hillsborough County, which has now opened the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant outdoor playground at the new Cross Creek Recreation Center, adjacent to Pride Elementary. 

Although the 16,000-sq.-ft. indoor rec center, with basketball courts, a fitness room and several multi-purpose classrooms/meeting rooms is not yet under way, the park’s new playground facilities are now open and, as you can see from the faces of the kids who came out after school at Pride ended on the day photographer Charmaine George visited, the new equipment is definitely welcome. 

County officials say that up next for the outdoor portion of the new $8.7-million rec center is some much-needed shade as we head into the scorching heat of Florida’s always-early summer season. 

In addition to the coverage of the playground area, Phase II of the park also will include rest rooms, a walking path, a covered pavilion and improvements to the outdoor basketball court. 

At our press time, we had not heard back from the county about when the indoor rec center will begin going vertical, but the last we heard, it was expected to open this fall. — Gary Nager

Twisted Rolls Chimney Cake Gets Ready To Open Across BBD From Pebble Creek 

Photos by Charmaine George

Residents of New Tampa also will soon have another unique option for dessert, as the third Tampa-area location of Twisted Rolls Chimney Cake is expected to open by the end of this week in the same strip plaza at 19406 Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. as Dan’s Fan City and Subway, across BBD from the Pebble Creek Collection. 

As long as you don’t go there (as I did when photographer Charmaine George and I visited the six-month-old Temple Terrace location at 12212 N. 56th St.) expecting it to also have some kind of rolls, you probably won’t be disappointed. 

The “Twisted Rolls” at Twisted Rolls Chimney Cake are made of dough and sugar that is rolled around a stick and then baked in an oven until hot and semi-crispy. Then, the hot dough is dipped in one of a variety of glazes and then rolled in one of nine different flavors — anything from crushed Oreo cookies to pistachio nuts and from Fruity Pebbles cereal to coconut and more. 

The coated “cone” is then filled with soft-serve vanilla, chocolate or a swirl of both flavors ice cream to create a one-of-a-kind dessert. 

“It’s an Eastern European treat,” says Ahd, the owner (top photo), who also has a Twisted Rolls food truck at 13742 N. 42nd St. near USF, as well a location in St. Louis, MO. “These ‘Chimney Cakes’ are called ‘Kurtoskalacs’ in Hungary, where they are super-popular.” 

Twisted Rolls Chimney Cake also offers 16 flavors of hard-packed Hershey’s ice cream, but the hard-packed isn’t served in the hot cones, only in two-scoop cups (for just $4.99 on 56th St.!). 

You can, however, have the hard-packed ice cream on crepes, waffles or mini-pancakes, all of which also can have a variety of toppings, from bananas and strawberries to M&Ms and brownies. There’s also New York-style cheesecake, which you can get topped with Nutella, crushed pistachios or liquefied peanut butter (below right photo). 

In addition to the cheesecake, Charmaine and I each sampled our own Chimney Cake while visiting the Temple Terrace location, just to get a feel for what’s coming to New Tampa. She enjoyed the Fruity Pebbles cone, while I quickly filled up on a Chimney Cake with Oreos, both of which have a cookie placed inside the bottom of the freshly-baked cone. The heat makes the cookie melt in your mouth because clearly, the Chimney Cake isn’t decadent enough without it. Just kidding! It is! 

Charmaine also sampled a mixed berry smoothie, which she said was yummy, and I indulged in a large vanilla latte, which also was spot-on. By the way, there are more than two dozen hot and iced coffee beverages on the Twisted Rolls menu. And, there’s even Italian sodas in eight different flavors. For more info about Twisted Rolls Chimney Cake, visit TwistedRollsChimneyCake.com. — GN

Korean Eatery Sorimmara Opens Next To Smoothie King In Highwoods Preserve! 

Photos by Charmaine George

If you’ve never heard of Sorimmara, which just opened next to Smoothie King at 17501 Preserve Walk Ln., off Bruce B Downs (BBD) Blvd., you’re probably not alone. 

Sorimmara is a fast-casual chain based in South Korea, where it has more than 200 locations. The only other U.S. location is in the Koreatown section of Los Angeles, CA. 

Despite its Korean roots, most of the menu at Sorimmara is made up of Chinese dishes that have been given a Korean twist. Confused? Just what until you visit! 

Sorimmara offers a large variety of raw meats (beef, pork, lamb, chicken, etc.), seafood (shrimp, clams, fish, etc.) and veggies (everything from broccoli and collared greens to Napa cabbage, baby corns, a variety of mushrooms & much more). 

You wait to be seated, but you’re immediately invited to grab a bowl and fill it with as much “stuff” as you like — but you’re told you need to have at least 1 lb. of ingredients in your bowl because the restaurant charges by the pound ($14.99-$18.99) for its six main entrée options, including malatang, which is a spicy broth cooked similarly to the popular Chinese hot pot soups, except the restaurant’s kitchen cooks it for you and brings it to your table in a metal bowl placed on top of a lit burner. 

Charmaine enjoyed her malatang (top photo), but we both included way too many ingredients because we didn’t know until the restaurant weighed our bowls how much “stuff” we had. There’s also creamy rose malatang available. 

I also liked my tomato xiang guo (below left), or “stir fry dry pot,” which is like a stir-fry dish at a Korean or Chinese restaurant. 

When I visit Sorimmara again, I plan to try the guobaorou, which means “fried pork” in Chinese, but also is available in crispy, sweet- &-sour chicken, shrimp, cream shrimp and mala mayo shrimp varieties. There’s also four actual Korean street food options called tteokbokki, which features tube-shaped rice cakes that are described as a blend of sweet, spicy and savory. 

One piece of good news for less adventurous diners is that all of the dishes at Sorimmara are available in five levels of spice, from mild to super-spicy. There’s also a sauce bar with pre-made options like a delicious creamy sesame sauce and make-your-own options where the restaurant provides you with the recipes! 

There also are Chinese standards like egg fried rice and egg rolls, as well as unique spicy mala and mala mayo fried rice, mala and mala mayo rice balls and flying fish roe rice balls. 

Sorimmara is open Mon. & Wed.-Fri., 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. & 5-10 p.m. It’s open Sat. & Sun., 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Closed Tues. For info, call (813) 252-6643 or visit SorimmaraTampaBay.com. — GN

Kickoff Event For Homes For Our Troops This Saturday!

Homes For Our Troops (HFOT)  is hosting a kickoff event for the building of a specially adapted home in Wesley Chapel for Marine Sgt. Christopher L.M. Lawrence this Saturday, April 5, at 10 a.m. (with check-in at 9:30 a.m.). The event is being held at Pinecrest Academy (33347 State Rd 54, Wesley Chapel, FL 33543) and the public is welcome to attend. 

Sgt Lawrence was injured while serving in Iraq and this Community Kickoff event signifies the start of the build process and will introduce Sgt Lawrence to the community. On August 17, 2007, Sergeant Lawrence was serving as a fire team leader with the 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division, in Al Anbar, Iraq, when he was injured on a foot patrol by an improvised explosive device (IED) blast, resulting in severe damage to his legs and left arm, internal injuries, tinnitus, and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

The home being built for Sgt Lawrence will feature more than 40 major special adaptations such as widened doorways for wheelchair access, a roll-in shower, and kitchen amenities that include pull-down shelving and lowered countertops. The home will also alleviate the mobility and safety issues associated with a traditional home, including navigating a wheelchair through narrow hallways or over thresholds, or reaching for cabinets that are too high. 

HFOT has built more than 400 homes since the organization’s inception in 2004. Homes For Our Troops relies on contributions from donors, supporters, and corporate partners for the building of each Veteran’s home. Community members may hold fundraisers or make donations. To find out more on how to get involved or make a donation visit www.hfotusa.org. Learn more about Marine Sgt Christopher L.M. Lawrence at https://www.hfotusa.org/lawrence